Rap Party Bonus: “Towards Zero”

Toasting The Rap Sheet’s first decade with a cover countdown.

Yeah, yeah, I know: Our commemoration of The Rap Sheet’s 10th anniversary was supposed to end yesterday—the actual landmark date—when the count reached number one. But I couldn’t resist showcasing an extra paperback front. So here you go!



Towards Zero, by Agatha Christie (Cardinal, 1959).
Illustration by Robert K. Abbett.

Rap Party: “The Case of the One-Eyed Witness”

Toasting The Rap Sheet’s first decade with a cover countdown.



The Case of the One-Eyed Witness, by Erle Stanley Gardner (Cardinal, 1959). Illustration by Darrel Greene.

Th-the-th-th-that’s all folks! To learn more about The Rap Sheet’s landmark 10th anniversary, simply click here.

Rap Party: “Two for the Road”

Toasting The Rap Sheet’s first decade with a cover countdown.



Two for the Road, by Gerald Kramer, aka Jerry Weil (Midwood, 1967). Illustration by Paul Rader.

Nine down, just one more to go ...

Rap Party: “Three for the Money”

Toasting The Rap Sheet’s first decade with a cover countdown.



Three for the Money, by W.T. Ballard (Permabooks, 1963).
Illustration by Harry Bennett.

Eight down, two more to go ...

SEE MORE: Thanks to Art Scott, co-author of The Art of Robert E. McGinnis, we also have a bonus “three” cover. Take a peek here.

Rap Party: “The Fatal Foursome”

Toasting The Rap Sheet’s first decade with a cover countdown.



The Fatal Foursome, by Frank Kane (Dell, 1958).
Illustration by Victor Kalin.

Seven down, three more to go ...

Rap Party: “Five O’Clock Surgeon”

Toasting The Rap Sheet’s first decade with a cover countdown.



Five O’Clock Surgeon, by Dorothy Pierce Walker (Pocket 1950).
Illustration by George Porter.

Six down, four more to go ...

(Editor’s note: It was rather difficult deciding which “five” cover to use today. We’d already employed a number of them in a post commemorating Killer Covers’ fifth anniversary earlier this year. And then there was this 1951 magazine front, which merited consideration, as well.)

Rap Party: “Six Criminal Women”

Toasting The Rap Sheet’s first decade with a cover countdown.



Six Criminal Women, by Elizabeth Jenkins (Pan, 1958).
Illustration by Sam “Peff” Peffer.

Five down, five more to go ...

Rap Party: “Seven Hungry Men!”

Toasting The Rap Sheet’s first decade with a cover countdown.



Seven Hungry Men!, by Lionel White (Rainbow, 1952).
Illustration by George Gross.

Four down, six more to go ...

(Hat tip to Bill Crider’s Pop Culture Magazine.)

Rap Party: “One Minute Past Eight”

Toasting The Rap Sheet’s first decade with a cover countdown.



One Minute Past Eight, by George Harmon Coxe (Dell, 1960).
Illustration by Robert Maguire.

Three down, seven more to go ...

Rap Party: “The Nine Tailors”

Toasting The Rap Sheet’s first decade with a cover countdown.



The Nine Tailors, by Dorothy L. Sayers (Four Square UK, 1959).
Illustration by Edward Mortelmans.

Two down, eight more to go ...

Rap Party: “Ten Days’ Wonder”

This month marks a full 10 years since I launched my award-winning crime-fiction blog, The Rap Sheet. The actual date on which that anniversary becomes official is May 22—now 10 days away. As part of the celebration, I’ve decided to count down each day between now and then using a series of handsome vintage covers.

Let’s begin with Clark Hulings’ beautifully painted cover for the 1957 Pocket paperback edition of Ten Days’ Wonder. The 19th novel to feature New York City amateur sleuth Ellery Queen, it was written by cousins Manfred B. Lee and Frederic Dannay under the Queen pseudonym, and originally saw print in 1948.



One down, nine more to go ...

FOLLOW-UP: “The Rap Sheet: 10 Years in the Making,” by J. Kingston Pierce (The Rap Sheet).